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Great report. That penultimate Scarce Swollowtail shot!

Perfection.

A great selection of shots, Wurzel - finding one with both tails intact takes a bit of doing. Scarce Swallowtails always remind me of Corfu and my first holiday abroad (aged 15). They looked incredibly exotic after my childhood diet of British species!

Cheers,

Dave

Cheers Trevor They are spectacular looking butterflies, just a shame that they're not found this side of the channel, mind you give it a couple of years and who knows?
Cheers Dave In the end I saw about 7 or 8 of these and I could only verify 'two tails' on two of them - they seem to be the first thing to go does that make them 'Swallows' or 'Swallowtail-less'?

Shipton Bellinger 03-08-2023

The weather report was proving to be incorrect and instead of the grey clouds and heavy showers the day was actually turning out to be quite nice. I deliberated about whether to go out right up until I’d finished my ‘early’ lunch. In the end I made use of a couple of advantages…first up the advantage from living in Salisbury – on a good day I can be walking along the Main Hedge at Shipton within 30 minutes. The second advantage was that if I was after Brostreaks my hesitation wouldn’t be a problem as by the time I’d arrive they’d probably still be sipping their breakfast. So with a much lighter bag than usual (no need for lunch or a flask) I was away…

I parked at the back in the actual car park rather than abandoning my vehicle on the grass and then made my way straight to the Nettle Bed. Whilst I motored on through the little patch of greenery, an oasis sandwiched between the main road and the wood on the other side, I glanced up occasionally and spotted a few Red Admirals, a Common Blue, a Large White and a couple of Brimstones. However the main reason for visiting was hopefully awaiting me at the Nettle Beds so I didn’t stop. In fact I hadn’t even removed the lens cap when I spotted my quarry. There, along the edge of the track were a thin stand of Creeping Thistles and sitting on the very topmost floret was a male Brostreak. I swung my camera round, then swung it back and took the lens cap off before swinging it back and starting to click away. He was a little beauty and so of course proved to be slightly awkward in in nature. Always managing to angle his wings so as to be in shade. When I tried sneaking around to the other side he took off and flew out into the middle of Nettles. So I wandered on to the end of the track here and watched a few Red Admirals feeding whilst a Holly Blue fluttered about and a Silver-washed dive-bombed a Comma. I started to retrace my steps, becoming more cautious as I approached the Creeping Thistles, and rightly so as the Brostreak was back. This time he was a bit more co-operative and I was able to walk round the plant in an arc so as to photograph him from both sides. After 5 minutes or so the cloud bubbled across the sky and the Brostreak took off into the middle of the Nettle Bed again. This time I stood on tip-toes and peered over the top of the vegetation and I could see that another enthusiast had been busy building on the areas of wind flattened vegetation and so making ‘paths’ into the middle of the nettles. I set off round to the other side to investigate. By the large Bramble that overhangs the track I found the entrance and so after stopping to note the huge number of Red Admirals clinging to various Bramble flowers I made my way in only to stop abruptly as there was another Brostreak right at the entrance. I got a few shots and then stood back and admired him from afar. He was slightly older looking, paler, with a few scales missing, but he was still a wondrous sight. After a short while he took to the air and I was able to watch roughly where about he went down and so I cautiously made my way in. A Peacock was resting up in one of the little ‘alcoves’ and in another nook a Hedgie sat awaiting the sun. In the middle a small clearing had been flattened and I could just make out the Brostreak sitting in the boundary layer of Bramble. A call of “Alright Rich?” drew my attention and round where I’d started was Andy Stafford. So I invited him in and when he arrived the Brostreak came out to play, fluttering between Bramble, nettle and Creeping Thistle; opening up here, pirouetting there and occasionally sitting in a perfect pose. We worked out past a pair of Gatekeepers mating and whilst Andy continued on along the path I turned right and made back to the spot where I’d seen my first Hairstreak of the day. I was watching a Gatekeeper that seemed to be lacking the orange patches on the hind wing and waiting for her to open up once again so that I could check out to see if my initial observation was correct a call went up from Andy. I set off almost at a run, ducking and weaving around the overhanging tendrils of Bramble and when I reached Andy in front of him was a lovely looking male, much fresher than the Nettle Patch one, which was sitting down low. It turned out to be practically bombproof even when another male flew in and tried to engage it in a bout of fisticuffs. We tried to follow the newcomer as if flew off towards the end of the track and it paused on some of the Wild Parsnip. As we drew near it took off and flew into the middle of the smaller Nettle Patch but in its place was another male. This was easily recognisable as a new individual as one side it had a hook wing and on the other only half a wing. Have a goodun

Wurzel

Great pics, they really did have an amazing season didn't they. Interesting that you seemed to have a near identical season over your way as I did over my way, loads of males coming down, using Thistles as a nectar source. very much creatures of habit.

Just catching up again Wurzel, some cracking Brown Hairstreak shots but my favourite from your recent posts is that penultimate Scarce Swallowtail photo from Corfu. the out of focus blue and yellow background sets it off beautifully

Cheers,

Neil.

Great report from Shipton B. and some of those shots!
As well as Creeping Thistle, I will keep an eye on the Wild Parsnip next year.

Have another for living so close!

Love the Hair Streak shots Wurzel I hope to get some shots of them before I get much older Looking forward to your Calendar for November Goldie

Cheers Bugboy Yep, the females were much harder to pin down this year it seemed - though my perspective may have been skewed by the success with the males
Cheers Neil I did find it quite tricky to get bad shots of that particular species, though as always I tried my best
Cheers Trevor Yep the Wild Parsnip is almost as popular as the Creeping Thistle - I've also seen them on Bramble and the white Umbeillifers, but Creeping Thistle is the sure fire plant to check
Cheers Goldie Next season I'm sure you'll be able to locate some Fingers and toes crossed for you

Have a goodun

Wurzel

November 2023

Things might start quietening down soon...
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Shipton Bellinger 03-08-2023 Part 2

Back at the low Bramble the male was still there and Andy had seen a pair squabbling so we had between 5-7 males in this little section. Andy and I crossed over on the tiny path and I made my way back to the middle of the Nettle Bed hooking some of the large briar tentacles back onto each other and away from the path along the way. There were now a few more Peacocks infiltrating the Red Admirals and replacing the Commas on the Brambles. One in particular was a cracking looking individual which stood out in the slight shade offered by a passing cloud. As I climbed back into the Nettles a Common Blue flashed past and sure enough the second Brostreak of the day was still sitting. Recently I’d decided to be firmer with myself and just go once I’d seen what I wanted too; leave on a high as it were. But when at Shipton leaving anytime before 3pm means you risk missing out and so despite being pleased with the haul we decided to check out the Main Hedge. Along the way there were the usual Meadow Browns, Hedgies, Holly Blues and the seemingly ubiquitous Red Admirals. When were about half way along Andy pointed out a male Brostreak which had gone up from the carpet of Wild Parsnip into the shorter trees along the leading edge of the Hedge. With a bit of stretching and standing on tip-toes it was possible to get something on the memory card but after a minute or so it went up a little higher into the canopy and so we continued on now with our sights flicking between the flowers at knee height and the mid level of the hedge. This strategy paid off as there was another slightly further along right at the edge of the Blackthorn. This one sat on a Wild Parsnip which was brushing up against the hedge. It turned and turned, feeding away and so I found that the best technique was to watch and wait for it to line up with you as it danced around the florets. After a bit I backed off and we chatted with another enthusiast that had arrived. I recognised him from the previous year when he’d found a female in the middle of a bush along the main track up from the village. We changed positions and as I looked down the viewfinder to line up for my shots the Brostreak started opening up. Its fringes were slightly worn and there were a few scratches on its wing surfaces but it was still in pretty good nick. Once we’d resumed chatting I spotted another on the stretch of Wild Parsnip and this one also opened up for us. It didn’t stop there as there was yet another male in the usual spot near the end of the Hedge, slightly too far back for my lens but still another addition to the tally – which was now between 9 and 11. Upon reaching the end we set off back down the Hedge. The last Brostreak seen was now slightly closer to the edge of the hedge so I was able to get a record shot. With all of the Brostreaks that we’d encountered in this little area of Wild Parsnip within sight, another male was definitely a new individual to add to the tally bringing it to between 10 and 12. This one seemed large than all the others but when it flew the top side was only brown and there were no obvious orange flashes. I carried on and a couple up ahead had another male down. This one was very close to where Andy and I had seen the first of the Hedge batch, the one which had gone up high, and so I was loathe to add it to the Tally. Looking back late there seems to be a triangular mark on the white of the ‘streak’ which would suggest that I was right and so avoided a double count. As I was in danger of being late back I did my best to look straight ahead and get back to the car but the urge to look left at the hedge was too great and when I succumbed and cast my gaze hedge-ward I was rewarded with the sight of a fast moving grey blur, a Hummingbird Hawk Moth. I switched the settings to Sports and fired off a few shots before resuming the walk by to the car. A none too shabby haul for a last minute, lunchtime trip. No females yet but the males are all down low fuelling up so hopefully next week it will be all stations go! A last minute call
Will Shipton produce the goods?
Brostreak Bonanza!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Shipton B is a difficult place to leave when the Hairstreaks are in full flow, Wurzel. To think that I went years without seeing a male down low, let alone appreciate their uppersides - nowadays you can see that there is a fair bit of variety in their markings. They are an easy butterfly too - once they are engrossed in nectaring you could probably pop off for a pie and a pint and they'd be where you left them! Great shots!

Cheers,

Dave

Cheers Dave You definitely got a dreadful sense of FOMO during the late summer when you drive away from Shipton or visit another site or do anything actually that doesn't involve walking the Hedge I do like the idea of a pie and a pint in between shots, something to consider for future visits

Corfu - Friday 07-04-2023 Part 2

Among all the Whites, and I mean almost all with Large and Small, Eastern and ‘normal’ Orange-tip, Cleopatra and Brimstone, one played more hard to get than the others. The first time I saw it I knew that it was something different. It was like a misprinted female Orange-tip, the underside markings were more regular and the topside had more white spaces in them. I was fairly convinced that it was an Eastern Dappled White but it landed right on the edge of the overhang and by the time I safely scrabbled up it was off. After this each time it landed it would fly off almost immediately, often only just as I’d clocked it or worked out where it had landed. However a little persistence and some derring-do (hanging onto the side of the cutting by thin air and reaching out as far into the void as possible) finally paid off and I managed a record shot. It had found something that it liked and now as it guzzled away I climbed down and worked back round to the top where I then set up shot, perched on the edge and waiting for the butterfly to come to me. It was enjoying its feast so much in fact at some points it got almost too close and to get it in focus I had to lean back to get further away from it. Chuffed I headed back and with a quick check in here and there on the way back up the hill I brought an end to the day with more Cleopatras, E.O.T.s, Walls and a Holly Blue. Once back I noticed that my card was almost full. So I changed it and then a moment of horror…for the first timeI noticed an ‘E’ instead of numbers on the top display. Worried that the ‘E’ meant ‘Error’ I put the SD card back in only for the view screen to display ‘Card Unreadable’! Ahhhhhhhhhhh! All my shots from the trip – gone! I ejected the card, blew on it from afar and inserted it again. My shots were there! Phew! I checked the card one more time and they were still there so then I removed it and very, very carefully packed it away not to be inserted until I had my laptop and I would be getting my shots to safety.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Phew - that was a close one, Wurzel! Everyone's nightmare with a card full of unrepeatable shots...

That's a lovely Dappled White, clearly as tricky to approach as all its pierid brethren! And the Cleopatra is pretty good too, clearly showing that it really isn't the same shape as the good old Brimstone.

Cheers,

Dave

Cheers Dave There were a few nervous minutes for a while - but it gave me a focus for the final day - try and see and photograph everything again, just in case The Eastern Dappled White was actually very reminiscent of a mix of Green-veined White and Orange-tip in its behaviour as I either saw it bombing passon patrol a la Orange-tip or it took off when I was within 2 metres of it like a Green-veined They don't make it easy do they

Have a goodun

Wurzel

You certainly milked Shipton B for all it was worth in 2023, and why not!
Lots of great BH shots to look back on.
Glad your memory card was OK, I purchased a dodgy one I wouldn't trust.

Oooh I can feel the heart in the mouth moment with that memory card event. Great shots of that Dappled White, I'd have been reduced to tears if I'd lost them to a dodgy card!

Cheers Trevor I was possibly at Shipton Bellinger so much that it could be considered my local patch My parents have a camper van, maybe next year...
Cheers Bugboy I seem to recall just staring at the camera dial in disbelief for what felt like 15 hours filled with dread (but it was probably about 5 seconds ) but luckily it all worked out in the end. For future visits I'm thinking of taking one memory card for each day - it would make sorting them out a bit easier as well

Godshill 07-08-2023

Everything was set, we just needed to check whether the new paint would cover the lurid yellow that the kitchen had been mistakenly painted last time. As the paint needed two hours to dry I needed to kill some time…as I’d already been to Shipton a few times and I was still awaiting the Girlstreaks, Godshill seemed like the best bet and it would let me catch up properly with the Grayling – possibly my favourite butterfly.

I strode out across the Cricket pitch, lime pickle sandwich in one hand and camera in the other and a Small Copper and Meadow Brown, obviously aware of this sat beautifully for me while I deliberated how to remove the lens cap, hold my sandwich and my camera with only a single pair of hands. So I left them to it and carried on down the main track and about half way down veered off right into the more overgrown edge of the track. In a little clearing I spotted another Small Copper, another Meadow Brown, a few Hedgies but best of all a Grayling fly past. I love their flight; deep wings beats and veering glides all wrapped up with a sensational finale – the disappearance. Even better I’d finished my sandwich so I was able to start stalking and firing off shots. Further away from the path the Gorse which had previously blockaded this side of the hill like a boundary hedge, had burnt away and so I was able to venture out onto the heather. I could tell, from the paler hue of the heather (Cross-leaved Heath) that it would be boggy and I ended up with 3 more Grayling on the tally, one, maybe two, on the memory card and soggy knees! Still they’d dry off sooner rather than later and I followed the boggy ground as gravity pulled it towards the brook at the bottom of the hill. Once there I couldn’t cross as it was just a little too wide and a little too deep so I followed it round towards the Ford at the bottom of the main track. Along the way I was joined by both Golden-ringed and Emperor Dragonflies as well as 4 or so Common Darters and a non-stop Red Admiral. Once I crossed over the Ford I started walking across what I think of as the Main Block. A large expanse of heather flowing up the hill to a small wood at the top. The Heather here is generally in the ‘Building’ phase and so forms rounded clumps with small passage ways between them. There are what look like drainage channels, carved into the gentle slope which all run down towards the Brook and these are generally filled with closely cropped grass which doesn’t let other species get a toehold. I started moving between the clumps waiting for a Grayling to erupt from in front of my boots whilst also keeping an eye on the cattle that are driving themselves along the Brookside path. I spotted a Grayling but then got distracted by a Blue. At first glance I wondered if it was a very late Silver-stud but luckily it landed and I saw that it was a female Holly Blue. Quite what it was doing all this way from either Ivy or Holly I wasn’t sure? As I wondered I noticed that the cattle had stopped on the path and there were many pairs of eyes giving me the once over so I walked away up the hill. There were many Hedgies on the way as well as three more Grayling. When I was about half way up the gentle slope I spotted a massive butterfly. Again my initial thought was proved wrong as it wasn’t one butterfly, but two, a pair of Grayling locked together in cop. They’d land, I’d get a few shots and back off and then 30 seconds or so later they’d be off again. I was fairly sure it wasn’t be that was moving them on so perhaps one or other couldn’t get comfy? Right at the very top I found a really well ‘striped’ Grayling as well as a massive, ginger Robber Fly – it was huge and evil looking so I only grabbed a few record shots as I didn’t want to get too close WINK. I then followed treeline along the side of the ridge and then followed another track down the other side of the hill. This was ‘path’ was more of a ride of well cropped grass with the odd island of Gorse and Bramble. The butterflies congregated around this little outcrops of heathland amid the desert of grass and as one I spotted a Grayling, Small Copper, female Brimstone as well as several Hedgies. The Small Copper played hard to get so I turned my attention to the Grayling and followed it down the hill and out into the upper edge of the Main Block. It was a lovely warm, brown colour; at least it appeared to be in flight, when it landed it still looked quite brown but the stripe was a cream colour. I resumed the path and it flowed down to the stony track that had been the original ‘hotspot adding a few Small Heath to the Tally as I went. As I rounded to the corner onto the track proper a Hedgie was squabbling with a Blue – another possible Silver-stud I wondered? Nope once again it was a Holly Blue but I was only sure of this once it returned and landed for a moment or two. Have a goodun

Wurzel

for your in-cop Graylings, still trying to get that on film. I found a pair a year or two ago at Chobham but no sooner had I lined the shot up they took off, always keeping one step ahead of me until I lost 'em behind a bush. Sneaky buggers, how dare they insist on privacy !

Cheers Bugboy I was actually hoping to have found them pre-coitous rather than 'in the act' as I'd love to get some topside shots

Godshill 07-08-2023 Part 2

After a short while the track opened up onto the standard New Forest plain; mainly heather with stands of gorse but with grassy lawns encroaching. I followed the stream to where it starts to run along aside private property by a line of ancient Oaks. In the light shade form the tips of the branches I paused. This has been a good spot for butterflies in the past as the local animals use this as a watering spot and churn up the mud to get to the water. This makes it ideal for mud puddling but today the mud was bereft of butterflies. Instead the humpy path was the hive of the butterfly activity and the area round one particular Gorse bush produced several Hedgies, a Holly Blue (again pretending to be a Silver-studded), a passing Red Admiral and two distinct Small Copper – one fresh out of the box and the other, well, less so. All of this was very nice but I remembered the reason for the visit; Grayling. So I departed roughly back the way I’d come. I say roughly as instead of taking the direct route and sticking to the stream-side path I instead cut out into the Heather, using the narrow animal tracks between the clumps. The odd Meadow Brown went up, fluttering far too weakly to lead me into thinking it was my quarry. Each stand of Gorse seemed to have its own set of Hedgie attendants and I was wondering where the Grayling were when it all went a bit crazy. First a Grayling went up which set off another two. I picked one and managed to follow it on deeper into the heather. It seemed a bit odd, almost two tone and when I was able to get close enough I could see why it had given that impression. A third or so of its hind wing was missing leaving the normally orange ‘warning’ panel exposed and it had faded by the bleaching action of the sun to off-white. After this there were 2 more, then 1 more followed by a final brace just before I left the heather and crossed the stream back to the stony track, the old hotspot. These all showed a great range of variation, as to be expected in a species that relies on cryptic camouflage. One or two were what I wold consider ‘normal’ but a couple stood out and I did my best to follow and photograph these. One had a lovely strong white band and the orange warning panel on the apex of the wing was a light orange colour, almost cream and another had a blue pupil on the eye spot! Back in the Main Block I quickly put up another couple, one of which stood out as it flew so after a couple of missteps (i.e.it landed, I saw where it landed, but when I walked over it was actually several feet closer than where I’d watched it land) I was able to get in close enough for a few shots. It was a bit of a stunner as the warning patch was again a cream colour and not orange but the stripe across the hind wing was of a similar hue giving it an overall golden appearance. Gorgeous. Chuffed with this individual I then started the slow walk back across the Main Block, not slow because it was hard going or it was a great distance but because I kept finding Graylings which obviously I’d have to follow and have a look at. I think by the time I racked up the other 9 and reached the Ford I probably covered the Main Block 4 times over! I fancied staying but if I got back quicker than expected I’d rack up a few more Brownie points ready for Shipton. It was a tough decision which in the end was made much easier by my memory card, I only had 37 shots left. Not wanting to miss out I started up the hill towards the Cricket pitch at a record breaking pace but Mother Nature doesn’t let you g that easily and so I ended up first spending some time at the Underground City about half way up the path. There were definite Potter Wasps and what I think were Beewolves as well as the green and red Jewel Wasp and a few other miniscule mining bees. My second stop came just by the topmost bog when a Grayling sat nicely on the white stone path. You’d have thought that a black, brown and white butterfly would have stuck out like a sore thumb but actually, from a distance, the different shades broke up the overall silhouette and to all intents and purposes I could have been looking at a patch of smaller pebbles in the path. The final detour came right at the end with the car in sight as I came across a Bramble bush heavily laden with Blackberries and fancied a quick snack. Whilst I was munching I spotted a Small Copper and so, with purple stained fingers, I grabbed my final few shots before my card was full. Despite Her best efforts with several distractions I still made it back to the car in good time only for Her to play her final card. My car was blockaded by Ponies of several shapes and sizes, I couldn’t get in, I couldn’t drive away, I was stuck until they wanted to move or I could shoo them away and they weren’t moving despite me making some very threatening gestures. To misquote the late, great Terry Pratchett; “Mother Nature isn’t called a mother for nothing…”
Off to Fordingbridge
Godshill the Grayling haven
Such variation…

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Just seen your shots of the Grayling Wurzel great shots, years since I saw them, I think my last sighting was in Southport Dunes years ago, I didn't manage to get to Sandwich to see if any were there this year, must try next year also enjoyed your Holiday shots. Goldie